I obviously unfortunately did not see him play in person. It must have been electric eh?

Yo what the fuck is going on with Jack’s contract?! I’m gonna be pissed if he’s not calling games this season. I’ve been listening to Jack for over 20 years. He’s a Raptors legend & deserves to be compensated fairly

Most coaches wouldn't do this and we shouldn't take it for granted.

Key takeaway from the article:

So far so good. He’s feeling better and, by all accounts, he’s moving better, but he knows the real test is weeks and months away.

Previously, Poeltl would warm up before his basketball workouts and do a standard lift routine afterwards. With the new regimen, he’s doing a full activation and targeted lift session before picking up a ball. There’s an emphasis on mobility, trying to take some pressure off his back by making him more mobile in areas where his range of motion was lacking. In the weight room, the focus is on improving his core strength, as well as targeting his glutes and hamstrings, to make sure he has as much protection as possible.

“It’s not rocket science,” Poeltl told TSN after a lengthy Wednesday morning practice. “This is something that I specifically wanted to do, something I wanted to change in my routine to see if we can make a difference, see if I can maybe get that extra bit of pep for the season.”

“I’m just trying to get as healthy as possible so I can play to the best of my abilities and help the team win however I can.”

His arms are fuggin massive

Long story short but it was possible (not a given) to have drafted Zach Edey in exchange for not trading for Poeltl. That said, I actually much prefer Yak for contending this year, and here's why:

• Edey (24) is a shot-blocking god, lob threat, 3pt shooter?, okay passer, but a drop-coverage big
• Poeltl (30) is a crafty vet, efficient+low usage rim runner, great passer, and is more switchable
• Both centers have a notable injury history, Edey coming off ankle surgery and Yak with his back

It's clear to me the FO made the much wiser choice in trading for Yak when the opportunity arose.

That said I think Edey has slightly higher of a ceiling which might mean he'll have a better career.

Edit: if we win a chip with Yak this year I think the opposite will be true ofc, maybe this was a poorly thought out question on my part haha.

Thoughts?

We obviously traded a lot for Kawhi and this roster looks pretty finalized, but I can't help but want to get another member of the 2019 squad back.

Since the 2019 ring, Siakam was a key component of a Finals squad that took the OKC Thunder to 7 games, Vanvleet has been solid with the Rockets(although he was injured), Norm has really blossomed on the teams he's been on, and OG just won a ring.

Looking back on it that was a lot of talent, but I wonder if we can get somebody back alongside Kawhi.

Found 09/30 at Winners mixed in between all of the other short sleeve shirts. $99

Last one I could find that was Raptors but they had a few Lakers jerseys as well.

Lowry or Kawhi woulda been nice but Carter is a nice consolation prize

Head knows one thing. Heart doesn’t care.

Slo Mo impact loading…

I think people sometimes underestimate just how complete Kawhi was during the 2019 playoffs.

Obviously, his scoring gets a lot of attention, but what stands out to me is how much he was doing on both ends of the floor. He was our primary offensive option while also taking on some of the toughest defensive assignments.

What makes that even more impressive is that he didn’t need to dominate the ball on every possession. He could create his own shot, attack mismatches, play off the ball, space the floor, and still provide elite perimeter defense.

I think this is where box-score-based player evaluation can miss something important. Points, assists and rebounds are easy to measure, but things like defensive responsibility, matchup flexibility, off-ball value, and the way a two-way star changes the role of everyone around him are much harder to quantify.

That 2019 Raptors team is a great example of this. Kawhi didn’t just put up numbers. His ability to impact both ends allowed the entire roster to function at a very high level.

I'm not saying he has the greatest career or the best longevity among all-time small forwards. LeBron, Bird, KD and Dr. J obviously have their own arguments.

But when I think about peak two-way impact from a small forward, I honestly think Kawhi’s peak deserves to be in the very top tier of the conversation.

And personally, I think his peak gives him a legitimate case for being the greatest small forward ever.

He really imitated his own laugh 😂

According to league sources, the Raptors and Barrett’s long-time agent Bill Duffy have yet to sit down and have substantive conversations about the possibility of a contract extension which, in theory, could be worth as much as $185 million over four seasons.

And while the lengthy Kawhi Leonard trade saga put the rest of the Raptors' business on hold for a couple months, there is optimism that Barrett’s desire to get a deal that keeps him in Toronto long-term isn’t one sided.